Damn Am Select Series Los Angeles Qualifiers

Posted on Sunday, May 3, 2015 by Chris

The math was easy. 30 percent of the dudes that skated qualifiers at the Damn Am LA stop survived to skate another day. 100 people signed up and totally went all out for it. Celebrity ams like Oscar Meza, Yuri Fuccini, and last years Damn Am of the Year Anthony Anaya were happily among the 30 that advanced through to Sunday. Congrats dudes!
Unlike the math, the skating that went down at Lincoln Park was insanely difficult. Some standouts: Nate Greenwood whose frontside 180 fakie 5-0 grinds seem to be easy pickings for him when reaching into his trick bag, Oscar Meza who skates Lincoln everyday and showed he pretty much owns the place, Antonio Durao from New York who it is IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL is a goofy footer and does switch tricks so impossible that he would have made the cut even as a regular footer, and Ethan Loy, not just the little bro NO MO. But the top two spots, and the Golden Tickets straight to Sunday’s Semi-Finals went to Mikey Papa, the Canadian graduate of a Matt Berger style school of skateboarding, and Ivan Monteiro, from Brazil, an absolute destroyer that did the 180 switch crooks and a back noseblunt down the hubba with the casual ease of someone who already knows they’ll make it before they try it.
Next up are the Semi-Finals where the top 10 will advance to meet up with the Golden Ticket dudes. Good luck to all. They’ll need it.
-Paul Zitzer
Words and photos: Bart Jones